Yasuo, a story of bravery
by Brutus2d
Summary: Just a short story I plan on writing and updating every Monday or so about a regular fire nation soldier. Leave honest comments, I hope for plenty of both positive and negative criticism. Please note this is the first time I've tried to publish something here, and the chapters may be wonky a few times.
1. Chapter 1

The story of Yasuo

A tale of bravery

By:Brutus2d

Yasuo sat at his fire, feeding old branch limbs and dried leave to the consuming flames. Watching the flames consume and eat gave him some entertainment. He had been stuck at this military encampment for nearly nine months, and saw no prospect of leaving. Yasuo rested with his thoughts, and his worrying thoughts. It had been over two hours since his comrades had departed for patrol and scavenging. Both task usually took an hour or an hour and a half to complete. The talk around the camp, and around the fire was the usual stuff. Listening in to the guys around him, a fellow soldier named Hotaka was sharing the tale of his romantic misadventures, "So I said to her, I may be fire nations, but the green jade of your eyes burns me everytime I see them". "How'd she respond?" Katsuo inquired, another soldier. "Well, she grinned at me, and then said 'well how hot is this?', before spraying a bunch of fire rocks in my eyes". The men around the fire chuckled at the story. Yasuo jumped in, "Well one time I was talking to this water tribe girl right? And I tried the line "You eyes are the moon, and your hair is like a flowing river". The men around the camp seemed impressed enough, Katsou once again asking how the line worked out. "Well, she giggled, then handed me a glass of water saying, 'this is the closest you're ever going to get me tonight'". The group once again laughed at their misfortunes.

Soon enough, the stories died out as the men sat back, doing various time wasters. He had sharpened his spear, and was tasked with nothing else but musing over the thoughts of what excitement the patrol must be experiencing since that meant a guerrilla raid against them. He sat back when he heard bustling and excitement around the camp. The words "raid, battle, defense" tossed around like a volleyball. Rising to stand, he turned and saw almost every armed man in the camp rushing towards the palisades. He ran to join everyone, spear in hand. Looking from man to man, he finally stumbled upon a commander, a man named Hisoka. "Sir! What is going on? Why is everyone in a bustle". He turned to him and barked out harshly "Get in formation you useless grunt, rebels from New Osai are attacking". This revelation shocked and excited Yasuo as he went to join the first formation of soldiers. "An actual engagement, honor and bloodshed" he thought running forward with the men next to him, as they climbed the walls of the palisade, preparing for defense.

His assorted armor rattled as he gazed out unto the land, a mixture of clay soil and firs. To his left and right stretched fellow fire-nation soldiers, spears armed, the lone fire-bender mixed here and between the whispers of both excitement from the newest soldiers, and worry from the vetarans, his pulse pumping with adrenaline and blood lust, even in the moonlight the terrain appeared blood red. He whispered a small prayer to himself, "Emperor, give me strength, father give me honor, and ancestors give me courage"...

This meditative state of excitement and blood lust was broken in a second. Before he could finish his prayer, he felt the earth itself shake. The palisades with which he and his friends had labored hours on, met the double strike of both flying boulders, and sifted ground. As he tried to use his spear to steady himself, he heard the most terrifying war cry ever. From the bir trees came around a dozen spear armed earth nations rebels, behind them the offending benders who ruined his defenses. As the ground shook and trembled under him, he was jerked off the wall, thrown unto the ground like a forgotten speck of dust. As he lie, attempting to catch his breath, it became apparent he had escaped an even worse fate. The walls of the fire-nation encampment tumbled on top of one another, the cut wood both impaling and crushing most souls, the remainder left with serious injuries. Gathering his senses and balance, he rose to go help his fellow men in arms.

Rushing forward his spear bared, he was also ready to engage the earth nation militants. What little firebenders from the wall that remained, had set up a small wall of fire, only allowing entrench to a select few brave earth nation spear men. Charging forward he met his first enemy, the steel of their spears clanging in unison. Teeth grit, bodies straight, they gazed into each other's eyes. Only the eyes of the man Yasuo saw were not human eyes. They were the eyes of beast, of guard dogs unchained, ready to rip out the throat of whoever stood in their way. The engagement, was preparing to turn fatal.

They began their duel, spear against spear. With a flurry they each attempted to close the gap between the both of them, trying their best to avoid the enemies deadly blade. They locked blades, and it was at this point Yasuo attempted to end the engagement. Violent slashing at his opponent, aiming not to harm, but to force back. The results were expedient, the Earth kingdom soldier being forced further and further back. Finally, the soldier tripped and fell backwards off a piece of the fallen wall, his helmet and spear being lost. Taking this momentary opportunity, Yasuo charged forward, and struck his opponent's face with his fist. The results were instantaneous as the spearman was knocked unconsciousness.

Yasuo stood breathing, sweat flooding from every pour of his body, his lungs aching to catch breath. It was in this he watched the awesome power of the benders as they dueled, the way in which they flung fire and earth at each other, the flurry of punches and kicks, the flame of the firebenders bending and contorting, the rocks and the boulders of the earth benders flying like meteors. The combatants did not conduct themselves like men, like the vicious combat he had just experienced. What he was watching was finesses, in tune with nature, an art.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter II

At this point, our hero became much more aware of its deadly power then he might have wanted. One of the Earth Benders had noticed him standing there, and sent a rather large boulder towards him, smashing into Yasuo's chest. He flew back, traveling through the air then smashing into the ground. Gasping for air as the pain spread through his chest, neck, and lower regions. His chest felt broken in multiple places, and both his helmet and spears were gone. Rolling to his side, he pushed from the ground in attempts to gather himself up, collapsing from the pain again.

The view around his eyes blackened, and his hearing blurred heavily as he again and again attempted to regain standing. Finally his muscles weakened and strained under the load, gave out, lying out flat on the ground. The last thing he heard was "Fall back to the center of the camp! Gather the wounded and retreat!". After that the blackness consumed his vision, and his hearing failed him completely.

Days later, Yasuo would regain his consciousness in a fire nation service tent. Around him sat groaning injured men, their bandages and healing ointments giving them either a ghostly tinge, or the appearance of a semi-rotted corpse. Attempting to sit up, he joined the chorus of sick men, the pain in his chest and stomach like that of several swords being thrust into him. An elderly woman quickly ran over, berating him. "What are you doing young man!? You're going to crack yourself like a nut. Sit back down and sleep". Complying with her order he slided down back into his bed, the straw poking him in the back. As he lay, the old women produced some form of ointment and applied it to him, mumbling "Lucky to be alive, that boulder woulda killed most men! Firenations risk takers I swear". "W-where am I?" mumbled out Yasuo, his vision dancing between blurry and clear in a painful manner. "Forty li outside of New Ozai at a Coven. Your camp was attacked and all the injured were taken here for medical attention". Yasuo sighed a bit and asked "Is the rest of my platoon here? Or are they…Gone?" The lady chuckled and said "Your platoon is perfectly fine. They were outside on patrol and completely missed the battle. Their rhinoceros are the only reason you were able to be transported here in anything but a coffin".

Relaxing a bit more, he studied the woman a bit more closely. Her hair was past the point of graying, now turning white in most places, as creases edged along her face like canyons, creating a weird series of features. She possessed striking green eyes, and a warm but stern smile. "Excuse me ma'am but I didn't get your name"? She looked at him and smiled a bit wider, "Huan-Hui, but you can just call me Huan". The name was obviously Earth nation, which struck him as odd, considering the current relations between the two of them. Standing up she said "I have to attend to your friends, but if you need anything, just call old Huan and I'll be right over". She immediately bustled off, administering bandages and medicinal aid to other soldiers.

Gazing at the ceiling and yawning, Yasuo contemplated the weird turn of events. "Is she a colonial? Why would a Earth native be so friendly? Her name was defiantly Earth Kingdom, not colonial but still"... These thoughts and more traced themselves in his mind, leaving imprints for him to ponder. His train of thought was broken by a strong jab to his shoulder. "Hey, buddy, you got any firerocks"? Started he turned to see the broken toothed grin of a fellow victim of war. "Dang nurses won't give me any, they just give me that water-soaked bread, on account of some sorta 'teeth injury', crazy right?!". Not quite sure how to respond, Yasuo just produced a few firerocks he had in his knapsack and gave them to the guy. "Hey, you're alright buddy, names Kaeda, Kaeda KAZUHIRO Kazuki, but you can just call me K". "A-alright" stammered Yasuo as he watched him toss the food in his mouth.

Taking stock of his bedside companion, he was a stocky build, well-built as soldiers of the fire nation were, but lean and mean looking. He had the traditional knot of his hair, and his body was scattered with a myriad of scars from the war. Popping the rocks in his mouth, K looked at Yasuo grinning, before his face started to contort. "O-oh boy, it's been awhile since I-I had these, a but h-h-h" his sentence was cut out as his friend let out a roar of agony, his face now flushed red like an orange. With this roar came a bright orange flame, streaking infront of K, the flames licking the bedpost.

"By the emperor K, put it out!" gasped out Yasuo as the flames began to consume K's bed. "It's alright, it's alright, I got this man". He proceeded to twirl his hands, causing the flame to shoot up and dissipate harmlessly in the air. "You're a firebender?" Yasuo asked, perplexed. "Flaming straight, best one this side of the Crescent Isle as well." K replied, giving him that broken teeth grin. "That is to say, until a group of Earthbenders trapped me outside of Omashu, barely got away alive from that one, then again, which ones do I not get away barely alive from"? He proceeded to laugh at his own question.

Yasuo continued to look at him, a bit fascinated, and reasonably a bit scared. "So uh...K, where ya from?" K seemed to stop laughing at a second, "Well came from some nobles in the Earth Kingdom colonies, not that those pompous jerks at the capital would call me that". K now appeared rather angry, his face changing to a harsh scowl. "Oh yea, just because I'm a colonial I can't be a good firebender huh?! Just because I'm a colonial I'll go 'turncoat'? I'll show you a turncoat"! K, now lost in his memories, began randomly firebending in general directions, the flames emitting from his hands and shooting up, down, and all about the room, almost burning Yasuo and his medical compatriots. Almost as quickly as he begun his attempt at arson, he stopped and looked around the room quickly. "Grap did I do this again? Don't worry I'll fix it"! And much like before, with the flick of his hand, any loose fires wove up into the air and dissipated.

K, deciding he had expended enough energy for the night, lied down after words to pursue sleep. Yasuo, noticing that he also was rather tired, even after sleeping for about a week, decided to retire with his newfound friend. Lying back, he looked at the ceiling, the stone ceiling. It's sandy color faded back and forth, clearly, unclearly, soon enough it was not a clear image. It was merely a jumble of colors, a jumble of similar forms. Soon these forms began to darken, to misshape as his eyes were teased between open and closed, open….And closed….And open… And very soon, darkness overshadowed and covered up the forms, leaving just Yasuo and his brain.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter III

Gazing dumbly at a group of peach tree's, Yasuo looked out his classroom window. He received a painful rap on his knuckles. Rubbing them slightly, he looked up at the stern instructor. "Geez Yasuo, TEN YEARS of education, and yet you cannot muster up the concentration for a single lesson. Will you ever learn". After berating him like this for a few minutes, the instructor shuttled off to the front of the class, as Yasuo sighed. The teacher was right, it had been 10 years since he started receiving an education, and in just 4 more he would be a soldier like his father, and grandfather, and great grandfather. He needed to learn, and he was going to start learning now, looking forward at the calligraphy lesson with determination.


End file.
